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09-12-16
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09-12-16
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City Council - City Clerk
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REGULAR MEETING SEPTEMBER 12, 2016 <br />of late. I &M is also to be commended for the expansion of their solar panel fields. It is a good <br />start but unfortunately as of now it is not enough. We originally wanted to have this resolution <br />call for the closure of the Rockport Coal Plant. It was a democratic process and we didn't get <br />that, but it does need to be closed. Rockport provides almost half of the power for the I &M <br />territory and faces incredibly high costs to keep it open and clean up the plant. It is the second <br />largest polluter in Indiana in terms of carbon emissions and the sixth largest polluter nationwide <br />of toxic pollutants. Mr. Francis expressed particular support for the "exhibit" portion of the <br />resolution which illustrates things that the City can explore in moving us to become a cleaner <br />city. <br />Christopher Cobb, 215 E. Pokagon Street South Bend, expressed thanks to the Utilities <br />Committee for their hard work on this resolution. This is a great document and it is great to see <br />the Council taking seriously the need for forward thinking policy. The work on this resolution <br />made a solid document that addresses not only issues of power generation but also social justice <br />and the cost of energy. It is an extremely well- designed resolution and South Bend is <br />demonstrating leadership in our state. This is the kind of City we can all be proud to call home. <br />This comes at a wonderful time to make sure I &M, our public utility, stays accountable to the <br />public it serves. <br />Dr. Phil Sakimoto, professor at the University of Notre Dame in sustainability and astrophysics, <br />stated prior to working at Notre Dame he worked at NASA where he was the manager of their <br />public outreach program. It has been his job for many years to interpret current research for the <br />public. He stated the recent tremendous floods that South Bend received were not a natural <br />disaster. Those floods were an unnatural disaster caused by the fact that we continue to use fossil <br />fuels and cause our planet to get warmer. Warmer air holds more moisture so when the rains <br />come there is more to dump on us. As our globe warms, it is not uniform. The artic regions are <br />warming at twice the rate of the equatorial regions. The difference in temperature between the <br />equator and North Pole has lessened and the jet stream is getting weaker. In the old days, the jet <br />stream would have pushed that storm on in a few hours but it is now too weak to do that. That is <br />why the storm lingered for so long and that is why we had flooding. With our warming climate <br />we can only expect more of that. We need to stop putting more carbon in the air. He commended <br />the Council for this resolution. For every ten (10) years we delay carbon reduction measures the <br />peak temperature will be half a degree centigrade higher. This is a great start but it's not enough. <br />We have to take bigger actions and hopefully this resolution is the beginning of moving our <br />community towards zero (0) carbon emissions. We need to do this for our children so they have a <br />livable planet. <br />Carolyn Haas, 606 North Saint Peter Street South Bend IN, stated she is a student at the <br />University of Notre Dame and is speaking on behalf of hundreds of ND students and also Fossil <br />Free Notre Dame which is a campaign urging ND to divest its endowment to remove itself from <br />fossil fuels consumption. She stated she is so pleased to attend a university with such a <br />supportive community in regards to sustainability measures. The office of sustainability at Notre <br />Dame has failed the community. It is wonderful to see South Bend respecting the voices of the <br />community while Notre Dame has not. <br />Meghan Anderson, 1100 West 42nd Street Indianapolis, stated she is a conservation activist with <br />the Sierra Club and is thankful to see such leadership coming from South Bend. This is a strong <br />signal to our utilities to move away from coal and develop cleaner energy. We know it is cheaper <br />to retire coal in the long term. Ms. Anderson stated she will share this resolution in Fort Wayne <br />and Muncie where she also works. The more renewable energy we have in the area I &M serves, <br />the more jobs for local people. <br />No one from the public spoke against the resolution. <br />Councilmember Randy Kelly commended Councilmembers Dr. Varner and Davis for taking this <br />issue on. Anytime we get two (2) disparate groups to come together, we are doing an admirable <br />thing. This is a wonderful first step and it is time for bold moves forward. South Bend can be a <br />leader in this work. <br />Councilmember Broden stated she echoed Councilmember Kelly's opinion. <br />7 <br />
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